Hope for a Lovestruck Outlaw
by the-little-guru
Summary: Wrote it in less than an hour. So ya. Pritty crappy. Written for round three of the probending circuit.


Prompts: Write about your OTP having a double date with your NOTP, Terrific, Anger, Azula, Western, Last Hope by Paramore

Season: Supposed to be spring, but you probably can't tell.

Words: 1156

This was written last minute, so it's really quite awful. I apologize to the person judging this. Also, lyrics from the song are italicized.

* * *

Today was a great day...a wonderful day...a terrific day for Aang, Sheriff of the little town in the middle of the arid western desert. He could finally lay back and take a break now that all the prisoners had been rounded up and the town was safe once again. Today, he had locked up the town's most notorious outlaw, a psychotic firebending girl who laughed as she burned her victims with blue sparks.

And now, she was still laughing, from within the depths of her iron gilded cell. But at least the town was safe and he was safe to finally take a break and take his sweetheart out for Valentines Day.

She an her brother where two people of the former Indian tribes who had chosen to live in the wild town since their people had been dispersed into the wilderness. They were all that were left for each other. Well, besides Aang, who tried his best to make sure the two were just as safe as the rest of the people in the town.

He smiled and shook himself out of his memories as he snapped open his glider and took off to meet the love of his life, Katara. That evening, they would go to town.

When he arrived at the lovely waterbender's blue house, the first thing that he heard was angry shouts.

_"I don't even know myself at all! I thought I would be happy by now!_" yelled a male voice

"And you should be!" responded the voice of Aang's girlfriend, the stubborn, beautiful, fiery Katara, "If you can't let go of her, then try harder!"

_"The more I try to push it,_" yelled her brother in anger, "_I realize –I gotta let go of control."_

"What's going on?" asked Aang, rushing through the door. The sight the greeted him was of the water tribe siblings yelling at each other from across the room.

"Aang!" cried Katara, "Thank the spirits you're here! Can you help me convince Sokka-"

"No! I know what I want! I can handle it now!" cried Sokka "_And the salt in my wounds isn't burning anymore than it used to."_

"But you shouldn't deserve to hurt! You deserve so much better than...that..._UGH!_ Why can't you feel the pain she causes you!" bellowed Katara, "She'll kill you someday! There no salvation for that crazy girl"

_"It's not that I don't feel the pain, it's just I'm not afraid of hurting anymore!_" said Sokka with raging conviction, "_And the blood in these veins isn't pumping any less than it ever has and that's the hope I have, the only thing I know that's keeping me alive." _he cried, "I can't live without her!"

And with that, Sokka ran into the dusty streets, barren from the arid sunlight, dotted with pockmarks of elemental street fights during the few times that Sheriff Aang wasn't around to mediate. The ground was thirsty for spring rains that will never come.

"Sokka! Sokka come back!" yelled Katara before looking back at Aang apologetically. "I'm so sorry." she sighed dejectedly, "This was supposed to be a romantic evening for the two of us, and now you're stuck dealing with my crazy brother and his crazy love interest."

"That's fine. I would do anything for you." said Aang, taking Katara's hand and dragging her out of the house, "Now let's go after him. And you can tell me what the problem is."

"It's Azula." spat Katara as she and Aang rushed after Sokka, "In fact, he's running towards the prison right now! He insists on spending Valentines day with her, even though she's...you know."

"Katara." said Aang seriously, "Katara, maybe you just _gotta let it happen."_

_"Gotta let it happen!?"_

_"Gotta let it happen. So let it happen."_ said Aang, "He loves her, despite all her imperfections. Just let them be together, even if it is across the bars of a prison."

"I can't! What is she hurts him?" cried Katara once they arrived at the prison, hot on Sokka's tail.

Suddenly, Katara fell quiet as she heard the slightst sad strains of verse, sung with a heavy western accent:

_"It's just a spark,_

_but it's enough to keep me going,_

_and when it's dark out,_

_no one's around, it keeps glowing..."_

Then, a bass melody joined in:

_"Gotta let it happen._

_Gotta let it happen_

_Gotta let it happen._

_So let it happen."_

Katara and Aang walked in and were surprised to see that Azula, instead of trying to kill Sokka, was instead holding a spark of brilliant blue fire to her heart and gazing at him lovingly through the bars.

_"It's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going,"_ sang Azula reaching a tentative hand from between the bars of her prison.

_"So if I keep my eyes closed with the blind hope..."_ said Sokka, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch.

_"Then when it's dark out, no one's around,"_ continued Azula

_"It keeps glowing..."_ they finished together, barely noticing that Aang and Katara were there.

"Oh Sokka." muttered Katara, "How did you manage to fall so hard?"

"I don't know, sis." he said, "But it's real. I know it. And I don't want to be alone on Valentines day, so please. Give her a chance. I'm her last hope for salvation, and she's my last hope for happiness."

Katara looked like she was about to object, but Aang laid a hand across her arm and said, "_Let it happen._"

Meanwhile, Azula gazed at them with dark amber eyes, looking the slightest bit uncertain.

"Fine." said Katara, before stamping up to the cell and glared into the outlaw Azula's eyes, "Don't you dare hurt my brother, ever again." she hissed ominously, "Sokka obviously loves you, But don't think that I trust you the slightest bit."

"She'll redeem herself." said Sokka, "We'll be alright."

"Well, I'm still staying with you." stated Katara, "I don't want you to be all alone here."

"Sis!" hissed Sokka, "We'll be fine-"

"Guys, it's alright!" said Aang, desperately trying to resolve the tension, "We can have a erm..._double date?_" he said hopefully.

Katara glared for a moment before she sighed again. "I'll get stuff to eat and drink." she said, storming out, "Keep an eye on them, Aang."

* * *

Later that afternoon, after about an hour in each other's company, tensions were almost completely resolved by the love that both the couples felt.

So the Outlaw, the Sheriff, and the two Indian siblings spent their Valentines together. They had let life take it's course, which ended with forgiveness, and a rather terrific double date in a prison.


End file.
